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Install Windows 11 over the network with netboot.xyz

In this video you will learn to install Windows 11 (or a lot of different OSs or tools available) via the network using netboot.xyz, instead of having to store them in a flash drive and install from there. We'll deploy docker containers, and I'm using a mikrotik router

Posted Updated
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By Christian Arzu
38 min read
Install Windows 11 over the network with netboot.xyz

Contents

YouTube video

Important info

Objectives

  • Be able to install Windows 11 (or a lot of different OSs or tools available) via the network, instead of having to store them in a flash drive and install from there
    • To see the list of OSs and tools available on netboot.xyz go to this page
  • By the end of this tutorial, you will have learned how to:
    • Install docker on Linux
    • Deploy the netboot.xyz and samba containers
    • Create winpe images
    • Install Windows 11 over the network
    • And much more

Disclaimer

  • This tutorial is designed purely for educational objectives.
  • Microsoft activation keys are not included at any stage of this tutorial. Also, refrain from sharing any Windows activation keys in the comment section.
  • You can use generic Microsoft keys to install a specific windows version but these keys will not activate Windows, you will need to provide your own purchased license key to activate Windows later on.
  • So this guide is meant for use with a Windows activation key that you have legally acquired.

Requirements

  • You will need a windows computer, that’s where we will create the WinPE image which will help install Windows over the network, you will understand what this means later
    • I will use a windows VM, that works too, as long as it can reach other devices in your local network
  • You will need a Linux VM because that’s where we will install docker
    • You can virtualize it in VirtualBox (or whatever you chose), I havent’ tested this in virtualization software, but it should work
    • If you run a hypervisor already (Proxmox, XCP-ng, VMware) just run the VM there

Help out devs

  • If you like the netboot.xyz project, please donate to their devs, if possible at least one time
    • https://github.com/sponsors/netbootxyz
    • I don’t know the developers, nor had I had any contact with them

Alternatives

  • If you don’t want to boot over network, there’s Ventoy, that allows you to store multile ISOs in a flash drive and boot from those
    • https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy
    • That’s not the purpose of this guide, this is specifically to avoid USB drives, and boot from the network instead
  • There’s another PXE server alternative called iVentoy

Credits

  • This guide was built on Techno Tim’s YouTube video, I didn’t know about netboot.xyz before this
    • https://youtu.be/4btW5x_clpg?si=G7_bLA6axCvOIx53
  • I was having issues with the Windows installation part, but with a comment from user @jaromirrivera on Techno Tim’s blogpost I was able to figure it out and go from there
    • https://technotim.live/posts/netbootxyz-tutorial/
  • Yeah, my blog looks like Techno Tim’s, guess how I set it up :shhhhh:

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Can I run this in Virtualbox or similar?

  • This guide’s setup, including the deployment of Docker containers and network booting services, is designed to be compatible with virtualization environments like VirtualBox, VMware, and others. Running the setup in a virtual machine (VM) should work, in theory, as long as the VM is correctly configured and reachable over the network by other devices. Here are some key points to ensure compatibility:
  • Network Configuration: Ensure your VM’s network adapter is set to a mode that allows it to communicate with other devices on your network. Bridged Adapter or Host-only Networking (with additional configuration) are commonly used modes. Bridged Adapter mode is recommended for easier accessibility from other devices on the network.
  • Resource Allocation: Allocate sufficient resources (CPU, RAM, and disk space) to your VM to handle the workload. This setup is not particularly resource-intensive, but ensuring your VM has enough resources to run Docker and the contained services smoothly is crucial.
  • Port Accessibility: Make sure any ports required by the deployed containers (e.g., port 69 for TFTP, port 8083 for the NGINX server, etc.) are not blocked by the host machine’s firewall or by the virtualization software’s network settings.
  • VM Reachability: Test the VM’s IP address from another device on the same network to confirm that it’s reachable. This step is crucial for network booting to work, as other devices need to communicate with the services running inside the VM.
  • I haven’t used virtualization environments in years, so that’s as far as I can go, but if you know what you’re doing, you should be good.
  • If you have questions go to the comments section below on the website and hopefully other kind, open source loving souls, will be able to assist.

Will I be able to install Windows on real computers?

  • Yes, once everything is setup, you will be able to install Windows 11 over the network on regular computers, I installed windows on my laptop that way and it worked fine

Proxmox or XCP-ng?

  • If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just skip this section.
  • Most people use proxmox these days, I use XCP-ng, but what won’t make a difference or affect you in any way, just deploy your VM as you regularly do in proxmox

Docker, really?

  • We will deploy the tools that we need as docker containers because it’s easier to install and configure them, it doesn’t matter what distro you’re on, once you have docker installed, the containers will run the same
  • I hate docker, I prefer installing things like back in the day, do I need to use it?
    • No, but this guide does, so if you want to install the stuff needed, manually on your own, or you already have it installed, skip those parts and go to the relevant sections
  • This is not a docker course, so if you want to learn more about docker there’s plenty of youtube videos out there, if you want me to create some videos that teach docker with practical examples, like the ones seen in this guide, let me know in the youtube comments.

Which Linux distro should I use?

  • My distro of choice is always Debian, so this guide is only tested in Debian you could try a Debian based distro, like Ubuntu and it should work, but there are no guarantees. If you’re using another distro, just translate the logic to that distro but it shouldn’t vary much as we will install the required packages as docker containers. So once you have docker installed, you should be ready to go.
    • I’m running a regular Debian server, no GUI as you won’t use it anyway because all of the work will be done via SSH
    • As of Feb 2024, I’m running Debian 12 bookworm

Docker swarm?

  • I wasn’t able to get the netboot.xyz container to run in docker swarm, probably due to the VIP shared by keepalived between the 3 docker hosts
  • Not 100% sure, don’t have the time to figure it out right now , so instead I just deployed it in a single host with docker compose. Which is what we’ll do in this guide
  • Will probably migrate the container to Kubernetes in the future anyway, so will be skipping swarm altogether. Or maybe I’ll just leave it running in a single docker host, Who knows.

(CAVEAT) Do I need secure boot?

  • https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/windows-11-system-requirements-86c11283-ea52-4782-9efd-7674389a7ba3
    • The link above describes that Windows 11 requires that your machine is running secure boot, see the requirements below from that page:
    • System Firmware: UEFI (for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, a modern version of the PC BIOS) and Secure Boot capable. If your device does not meet the minimum requirements because it is not Secure Boot capable
  • Does netboot.xyz support Secure Boot?
    • netboot.xyz doesn’t support Secure Boot, I found this on the netboot.xyz FAQ:
    • https://netboot.xyz/docs/faq/#does-netbootxyz-support-secure-boot
    • iPXE and hence netboot.xyz does not support Secure Boot because its binaries are not signed by Microsoft. You must disable Secure Boot mode in your computers firmware configuration menu before you can boot netboot.xyz.
  • So we have a dilemma, windows requires Secure boot but netboot.xyz does NOT support Secure boot
  • We’ll fix this by configuring the windows installer to bypass the secure boot, and TPM checks later on
  • This means you can proceed with the installation regardless of whether Secure Boot is enabled or not

BIOS or UEFI?

  • BIOS and UEFI are firmware types, and they serve as an interface between the computer’s operating system and its hardware, performing initial hardware checks and booting the operating system
  • BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)
    • Legacy firmware interface for PCs, initializing and testing hardware at startup.
    • Supports MBR (Master Boot Record) partition tables, limiting drives to 2TB.
    • Does not support native secure boot.
    • Interface is typically text-based, with limited mouse support.
  • UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface)
    • Modern firmware interface designed to replace BIOS, providing faster boot times.
    • Supports GPT (GUID Partition Table) for larger drives (over 2TB) and more partitions.
    • Native support for secure boot, ensuring that only signed bootloaders run.
    • Graphical interface with support for mouse and network functionality in the pre-boot environment.
  • Personally, I'll handle everything with UEFI
  • If your machine is kind of old, and the only option it has available is BIOS then set your boot file type, on your router, to a BIOS one, see below how to do this
  • I tested running windows 11 in both UEFI and BIOS and it worked fine in both

Boot file type differences?

  • Whatever firmware you decide to go with (BIOS or UEFI) will determine the type of boot file you will configure on your router, you’ll understand this later but for now, all you need to know is that there are different boot file types:
    • netboot.xyz.efi is used for devices that boot using UEFI firmware. The .efi extension is a file format for UEFI applications, including bootloaders.
    • netboot.xyz-snp.efi UEFI w/ Simple Network Protocol, attempts to boot all net devices
      • This is the only one that worked for my case, you will see why below
    • netboot.xyz.kpxe is used for devices that boot using legacy BIOS firmware The .kpxe extension indicates that it’s a PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) kernel, which allows computers to load and boot an operating system from a network server instead of local storage.

Can I use the SAMBA server for other stuff?

  • Yes, we will be deploying a samba server running in a docker container, you can create other users, samba shares, groups, etc. I even store my time machine backups in my samba container.
    • So it’s a normal SAMBA server that you can use for anything you want, we’re just using it for a specific purpose in the video
    • If you’d like to to go over how I set up my samba, let me know in the video comments

I already have a SAMBA server running, can I use that?

  • Yes, you can use your existing samba server, you don’t need to deploy this other one

Linux server deployment

Configure sudo access

  • If you can run the command below, without being asked for your password, skip this section
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sudo apt-get update
  • I have to log in as root to do be able to add my user to the sudoers file
    • Remember that I’m on Debian, may be different for your distro
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# Saving the name of my current user to a temp file because will need it
whoami > /tmp/current_user

# Log in as root
su -
  • If you already have the packages below installed, and run the install commands again, the packages will just be updated, so no worries
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# Update package lists and install common Linux tools
apt-get update
apt-get install -y vim curl wget git htop net-tools sudo

# Create a sudoers file for the current user in the correct directory
# This command allows you to enter sudo commands without being asked for the password
# The name of the file doesnt have to match the user, but its good for consistency
my_current_user=$(cat /tmp/current_user)
echo "$my_current_user ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL" > /etc/sudoers.d/$my_current_user

# Set the file permissions to 440 for security
chmod 440 /etc/sudoers.d/$my_current_user

# Cleanup the temporary file
rm /tmp/current_user

# Exit the root shell and go back to our regular user
exit
  • Here’s the contents of the file
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sudo cat /etc/sudoers.d/$(whoami)
  • Now my user can run sudo commands without being asked for the password
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sudo apt-get update

In case you want to remove what we just did, just delete the file we created

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sudo rm /etc/sudoers.d/krishna

Install docker

  • If you already have docker installed, skip this section
  • If you’re following this guide, you should have docker installed, but in case you don’t here’s a script that installs it on debian
  • If you want to understand what the script does, go and check out my other article
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# Download docker official install script
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o install-docker.sh

# Run installation as root
sudo sh install-docker.sh

# Add your current user to the docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $(whoami)
  • Once this is done, exit your shell and log in again
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exit
  • You will now be able to run docker commands without sudo
    • If you see the headers below, it means you’re good
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docker ps

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krishna@docker4:~$ docker ps
CONTAINER ID   IMAGE     COMMAND   CREATED   STATUS    PORTS     NAMES

Get VM IP address

  • We need the IP address of the VM where the docker container is running, so that we can configure our router to point to it
    • Both commands below do the same thing, they will show you the IP of the interface being used to connect to the internet, which is likely your local IP
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ip route get 8.8.8.8

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ip route get 8.8.8.8 | awk '{print $7}' | head -n 1
  • Notice that in my case, the machine IP is 192.168.88.135
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krishna.@.linkarzu-docker~
[24/02/11 13:13:56]
❯ ip route get 8.8.8.8 | awk '{print $7}' | head -n 1

192.168.88.135

Deploy containers with docker compose

  • If you’re new to docker, there are several ways of deploying containers, in our case, we will use docker compose, which allows us to deploy a docker container from a yaml file

Clone GitHub repo where containers are

  • First we will clone the repo where my docker compose files are
    • If you installed git above, or already have it installed, you can run the install command below again and nothing happens
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# Install git to be able to clone the repo
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install git

# Clone my repo where the docker compose file is and change to that dir
echo
echo "Cloning github repo"
mkdir -p ~/github/
cd ~/github/
git clone https://github.com/linkarzu/containerdata-public.git

Deploy netboot.xyz container

  • This container deploys a few things:
    • Web Interface (Port 3029): This allows you to download images, see the menus, download boot menus and other things in a graphical interface
    • TFTP Port (Port 69/UDP): This is used to serve boot files for PXE booting. This is done so that PXE-enabled clients can download boot files
    • NGINX Server for Hosting Assets (Port 8083): Maps port 8083 to NGINX’s port 80 inside the container for hosting boot assets like OS images.
  • So after downloading the repo to the local computer, we will deploy the docker container
    • -f - specifies the path to the .yml file
    • up - up is used to create and start the container
    • -d - will start the container in detached mode, which will allow you to keep using your terminal
    • Previously command was docker-compose but it changed to docker compose
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docker compose -f ~/github/containerdata-public/docker/netbootxyz/docker-compose.yml up -d
  • NOTE:
    • If you receive a message that says something like:
      • Bind for 0.0.0.0:8083 failed: port is already allocated
      • It means that other service on the host is already using port 8083
      • So I’d recommend you deploy these containers in a freshly deployed VM
      • Otherwise, I assume you know what you’re doing and you’ll be able to fix the port warnings
  • After deploying, make sure the container is running
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docker ps
  • You should see something like this
    • Notice the status has been up for 2 minutes
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❯ docker ps
CONTAINER ID   IMAGE                          COMMAND   CREATED          STATUS          PORTS                                                                                                                 NAMES
7a0ae35a4842   linuxserver/netbootxyz:0.7.1   "/init"   29 seconds ago   Up 23 seconds   0.0.0.0:69->69/udp, :::69->69/udp, 0.0.0.0:8083->80/tcp, :::8083->80/tcp, 0.0.0.0:3029->3000/tcp, :::3029->3000/tcp   netbootxyz

Deploy samba container

  • Samba is an open-source tool that provides file and print services to SMB/CIFS clients, allowing Windows, Linux, and macOS systems to share files, printers, and other resources over a network.
  • This container will be used to store the WinPE ISO, also the Windows installation ISO, and other configuration files from our Windows machine to the Linux machine, over the network .
Generate new password for samba user
  • In the docker-compose.yml file, there are instructions to change the samba password for the isos user
  • I highly recommend you change the password, instead of using the default one I configured
  • I’ll set mine to
    • Password - passpass
  • But you set your password to something that just you know
  • If you change the samba password in the future, redeploy the container to apply the changes
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docker compose -f ~/github/containerdata-public/docker/samba/docker-compose.yml up -d
Deploy container
  • Then deploy the samba container
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docker compose -f ~/github/containerdata-public/docker/samba/docker-compose.yml up -d
  • After deploying, you should see 2 containers running
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docker ps
  • You should see something like this
    • Notice the status is up for both containers
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❯ docker ps

CONTAINER ID   IMAGE                                               COMMAND                  CREATED              STATUS                        PORTS                                                                                                                 NAMES
7dae3bd7844e   ghcr.io/servercontainers/samba:a3.19.0-s4.18.9-r0   "/container/scripts/…"   About a minute ago   Up About a minute (healthy)                                                                                                                         samba
7a0ae35a4842   linuxserver/netbootxyz:0.7.1                        "/init"                  3 minutes ago        Up 3 minutes                  0.0.0.0:69->69/udp, :::69->69/udp, 0.0.0.0:8083->80/tcp, :::8083->80/tcp, 0.0.0.0:3029->3000/tcp, :::3029->3000/tcp   netbootxyz
Configure samba permissions
  • We need to fix permissions on the isos directory in the samba container
  • Our samba user isos has UID 8225 and is part of the 8598 group because we configured it that way in the docker container
  • So we will give write access on the isos directory to the 8225 user
  • That way, when we connect to the samba server from our windows machine, we can add and modify files
  • We’re giving it 775 permissions
  • I’m running these commands in the machine where the containers are running
  • I’m giving it 775 permissions, so that you can still edit the files from your Linux VM if needed, and the group 8598 also has write permissions 8598 is the group that the samba user is part of.
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sudo chown -R $(whoami):8598 ~/github/containerdata-public/docker/samba/mnt/isos
sudo chmod -R 775 ~/github/containerdata-public/docker/samba/mnt/isos

Add DNS entries

  • If you don’t have DNS servers on your network, skip this step and just use IP addresses instead of DNS names (FQDNs)
  • If you have a DNS servers, add a DNS entry for this server where the containers are running, for example:
    • netbootxyz A 192.168.88.135
    • samba A 192.168.88.135

Configure router after setting up container

  • If you have an existing DHCP server, usually you will need to make some small adjustments to make your DHCP server forward requests to the netboot.xyz container. You will need to typically set your next-server and boot-file-name parameters in the DHCP configuration. This tells DHCP to forward requests to the TFTP server and then select a boot file from the TFTP server.
  • I found this in the official documentation
  • In my local network my Mikrotik router #mikrotikForTheWin is my DHCP server as of Feb 2024, so I’ll configure it to forward requests to netboot.xyz
  • For instructions on how to set up your router, go to the site below
  • https://github.com/linuxserver/docker-netbootxyz?tab=readme-ov-file#router-setup-examples
    • This is from the LinuxServer.io team, which is the docker image I’m using
    • If your router is not listed there, you’ll have to Google it or figure it on your own, I had to figure out how to configure Mikrotik, but it was not complicated at all
  • If you want to add the steps for your router on this guide, so others can see leave them in a comment and I’ll add them to this section

Configure Mikrotik router

  • In Winbox go to ip - dhcp server - networks - 192.168.88.0/24
    • Then set the Next Server, just enter the VM IP we got earlier
      • If you enter the VM DNS name 192.168.88.135 for example, it will automatically change it to the IP address 192.168.88.135
    • Then for the Boot File Name I tried these options
      • netboot.xyz-snp.efi - worked with UEFI VMs
      • netboot.xyz.kpxe - worked with BIOS VMs
      • netboot.xyz.efi - didn’t work
      • not sure why netboot.xyz.efi didn’t work with my VMs and omen laptop. Not sure if it’s a docker thing or what. The list of boot file types I used above, I found it on the docker section of the documentation https://netboot.xyz/docs/docker#netbootxyz-boot-file-types
    • Mikrotik, unlike other routers, doesn’t allow me to set multiple Boot File Name options (sad)
      • This means that I can only use a single boot file name at a time, for either UEFI or BIOS

Download additional menus

  • If you notice above, the menu that worked for me is netboot.xyz-snp.efi so we will check if that configuration file is downloaded
  • Go to the web GUI http://192.168.88.135:3029
  • Go to Menus on the top
    • Click on Menus on the top again
  • You should see netboot.xyz-snp.efi in the list on the left hand side
  • If you don’t see this file:
    • Click on Menu Development Versions
    • Click on Download the latest release
  • Now you should see the file on the left

Configure netboot.xyz to use local assets

  • With the default configuration, netboot.xyz will be pointing to the https://github.com/netbootxyz repo, it will work, but every time you install an OS, for example the tool gparted, it will download it again. I tried to use gparted in the same VM twice, and it went to download it each time. Images won’t be saved in your assets directory. What I’ll do instead is switch to local assets
  • You don’t need to do this, if you leave the config pointing at github it will also work, you don’t have to pre-pull images, but they will be downloaded from the internet every time, if your connection is fast enough I guess you would be fine
  • In the same web GUI http://192.168.88.135:3029
  • Go to Menus on the top
  • Click on the boot.cfg file
    • We will change this line:
    • set live_endpoint https://github.com/netbootxyz
    • To this:
    • set live_endpoint http://192.168.88.135:8083
      • We’re using the IP address of the VM where the container is running
      • If you have DNS configured, instead of the IP use a DNS name
    • Notice I’m pointing it to the port (8083) that’s running Nginx, which hosts the assets
  • After this click Save Config on the top right corner

Download an asset locally and test

  • Now that we have pointed netboot.xyz to use local assets, we’ll download a test image to make sure it’s working as expected
  • Go to the web GUI http://192.168.88.135:3029
  • Click on Local Assets at the top
  • Search for the image you need gparted in this example
  • You need to download the 3 files to run any OS
    • vmlinuz - This is the compressed Linux kernel.
    • initrd - Temporary file system used during the initial boot process. It contains the necessary drivers and scripts to mount the real filesystem. In the context of a live environment like GParted, initrd helps to boot the system before the actual filesystem (contained in the filesystem.squashfs file) is mounted.
    • filesystem.squashfs - Compressed file system image. It contains the actual file system with all the necessary files, applications (including GParted), and settings to run the environment. Once the kernel is loaded and the initrd has prepared the system, filesystem.squashfs is mounted to provide the full GParted environment.
  • Select the 3 files and click Pull Selected
  • Since we changed the config to ‘Local Assets’, you need to make sure to pre-pull the images you want to use ahead of time
  • Below are the files that it downloaded for gparted
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cd ~/github/containerdata-public/docker/samba/mnt/isos/netbootxyz-assets
tree

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❯ cd ~/github/containerdata-public/docker/samba/mnt/isos/netbootxyz-assets
tree
.
├── debian-squash
│   └── releases
│       └── download
│           └── 1.5.0-6-521af9dc
│               ├── filesystem.squashfs
│               ├── initrd
│               └── vmlinuz
  • Notice that above, you cannot tell which distro these files belong to, so to know that
  • Grab the release number 1.5.0-6-521af9dc and go to the web gui 192.168.88.135:3029
    • In the Local Assets tab, you will see the asset name and also release name
    • gparted-stable 1.5.0-6-521af9dc/filesystem.squashfs
    • That way you can tell this asset is related to gparted

Boot a machine to test a local asset

  • You can skip this section, but just in case you want to test it’s working
  • After downloading the asset locally, we will boot up a new VM to test
  • In my hypervisor (XCP-ng) I just selected a Debian template and changed it to PXE instead of selecting an ISO
  • You will notice that nothing happens if you try a tool or OS that you didn’t pre pulled
  • Change it to UEFI because I’m using netboot.xyz-snp.efi as the boot file name on my router

Create Windows 11 installation media

  • Windows PE (WinPE) is a small operating system used to install, deploy, and repair Windows desktop editions, Windows Server, and other Windows operating systems. From Windows PE, you can:
    • Set up your hard drive before installing Windows.
    • Install Windows by using apps or scripts from a network or a local drive.
    • Capture and apply Windows images.
    • Modify the Windows operating system while it’s not running.
    • Set up automatic recovery tools.
    • Recover data from unbootable devices.
    • Add your own custom shell or GUI to automate these kinds of tasks.
  • So we will need to create a WinPE bootable drive, which is what will allow us to install Windows 11 on our machines from the network

Download and extract the Windows ISO to samba drive

  • During the network boot windows installation phase, the winpe image will need to point to a dir where this windows ISO is stored
  • That’s why we use the samba drive, to store this ISO so that we can reach it
  • This is the regular Windows installation ISO that you download from the official Microsoft page
    • https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11
  • So go and download that ISO as we will store all the files that are in the iso in the samba directory
  • In my Windows vm:
    • First install 7zip as I’ll use it to extract the ISO files
    • From the windows machine go to This PC and map a network drive from the file explorer
    • \\192.168.88.135\isos, enter the isos username and password
      • User - isos
      • Password - passpass
    • Right click the windows ISO show more options - 7zip - extract files
    • Now in the 7zip extraction menu navigate to the win11 dir
      • windows\win-os\win11
      • After selecting the directory I unchecked the option below Win11_23H2_English_x64v2\ so it doesn’t create a new dir, but it instead just extracts the files
    • With this we will have the windows ISO, but extracted in our samba drive

Create Windows WinPE ISO

  • https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/winpe-intro?view=windows-11
  • In this page, the 2 sections that follow are
    • Download WinPE
    • Create Bootable WinPE media
  • Which is what we will do below

Download and install WinPE

  • WinPE is an add-on to the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK). You can download the ADK and WinPE add-on from Download and install the ADK. Install the ADK and the WinPE add-ons to start working with WinPE.
  • In the same page shown above, right below there’s the link to Download WinPE
  • On my win11-xcp VM, download the windows 11 ADK, link on the microsoft page
    • Download both:
      • Windows ADK
      • PE add-on for the Windows ADK
    • Install first the Windows ADK
      • I installed it with all the defaults
    • Then install the PE add-on for the Windows ADK
      • I installed it with all the defaults
    • Both files are a bit big, so it will take some time to download/install

Create Bootable WinPE media

  • In this section, we will also be following the steps that are on the Microsoft guide, all the commands come from there
  • The Windows ADK deployment tools and ADK Windows PE Add-ons, include command-line utilities that make it easy to create bootable WinPE media
  • Run the Deployment and Imaging Tools Environment as administrator
  • Navigate to the “Windows Preinstallation Environment” folder and the processor architecture folder of your choice. See sample command for the amd64 folder:
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cd "..\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64"
  • Sample output
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C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Deployment Tools>cd "..\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64"

C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64>
Mount the Windows PE boot image
  • md command creates a directory where the WinPE image will be mounted
  • Dism command mounts the image to that directory using the DISM tool
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md C:\WinPE_amd64\mount
Dism /Mount-Image /ImageFile:"en-us\winpe.wim" /index:1 /MountDir:"C:\WinPE_amd64\mount"
  • Sample output
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C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64>md C:\WinPE_amd64\mount

C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64>Dism /Mount-Image /ImageFile:"en-us\winpe.wim" /index:1 /MountDir:"C:\WinPE_amd64\mount"

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.25398.1

Mounting image
[==========================100.0%==========================]
The operation completed successfully.
  • DO NOT RUN THE COMMANDS BELOW, just notice that hese directores were created
    • The overall mount directory created has 16,000 files, around 50Mb
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C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64>cd \WinPE_amd64\mount

C:\WinPE_amd64\mount>dir
 Volume in drive C has no label.
 Volume Serial Number is 60FF-CDC6

 Directory of C:\WinPE_amd64\mount

06/10/2023  09:49 PM    <DIR>          .
02/13/2024  02:13 AM    <DIR>          ..
06/10/2023  09:49 PM    <DIR>          Program Files
06/10/2023  09:49 PM    <DIR>          Program Files (x86)
06/10/2023  09:49 PM    <DIR>          Users
06/10/2023  09:55 PM    <DIR>          Windows
Copy boot files back to the Windows PE add-on installation
  • Copies the file bootmgr.efi from the source to the destination (Media\)
  • Copies bootmgfw.efi from the source to the destination, renaming it to bootx64.efi
    • This will copy the files in the amd64\Media\
    • In case you get asked if it’s a file or directory, type F, as it’s a file
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Xcopy "C:\WinPE_amd64\mount\Windows\Boot\EFI\bootmgr.efi" "Media\bootmgr.efi" /Y
Xcopy "C:\WinPE_amd64\mount\Windows\Boot\EFI\bootmgfw.efi" "Media\EFI\Boot\bootx64.efi" /Y
  • Sample output
    • Notice I got asked if it’s a file or directory and I chose F for file
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C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64>Xcopy "C:\WinPE_amd64\mount\Windows\Boot\EFI\bootmgr.efi" "Media\bootmgr.efi" /Y
C:\WinPE_amd64\mount\Windows\Boot\EFI\bootmgr.efi
1 File(s) copied

C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64>Xcopy "C:\WinPE_amd64\mount\Windows\Boot\EFI\bootmgfw.efi" "Media\EFI\Boot\bootx64.efi" /Y
Does Media\EFI\Boot\bootx64.efi specify a file name
or directory name on the target
(F = file, D = directory)? F
C:\WinPE_amd64\mount\Windows\Boot\EFI\bootmgfw.efi
1 File(s) copied
Unmount the WinPE image, committing changes
  • This command unmounts the Windows image from the C:\WinPE_amd64\mount directory and commits changes made to the image, making the changes permanent.
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Dism /Unmount-Image /MountDir:"C:\WinPE_amd64\mount" /commit
  • Sample output
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C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64>Dism /Unmount-Image /MountDir:"C:\WinPE_amd64\mount" /commit

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.25398.1

Saving image
[==========================100.0%==========================]
Unmounting image
[==========================100.0%==========================]
The operation completed successfully.
  • After this, if we navigate back to the C:\WinPE_amd64\mount in the file explorer, we will see it’s empty
Create working files
  • The purpose of this command is to create a new set of WinPE files, including bootable media files, specifically for the 64-bit architecture. It prepares the environment for further customization, like adding drivers, applications, or other components necessary for deployment tasks.
  • Notice I’m creating this files in a new dir with lowercase letters C:\winpe-amd64
    • You can create it anywhere, but stick to this guide if you don’t want to have issues
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copype amd64 C:\winpe-amd64
  • Sample output
    • Notice the success message at the bottom
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C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64>copype amd64 C:\winpe-amd64

===================================================
Creating Windows PE customization working directory

    C:\winpe-amd64
===================================================

C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\Media\bootmgr
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\Media\bg-bg\bootmgr.efi.mui
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\Media\Boot\BCD
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\Media\Boot\BCDTemplate
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\Media\Boot\boot.sdi
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\Media\Boot\bootfix.bin
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\Media\Boot\memtest.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\Media\Boot\bg-bg\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\Media\zh-tw\bootmgr.efi.mui
189 File(s) copied
        1 file(s) copied.
        1 file(s) copied.
        1 file(s) copied.

Success
  • These were the files created, you can see them in your file explorer
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PS C:\winpe-amd64> dir


    Directory: C:\winpe-amd64


Mode                 LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                 -------------         ------ ----
d-----         1/12/2024   1:29 PM                fwfiles
d-----         1/12/2024   1:29 PM                media
d-----         1/12/2024   1:29 PM                mount
(OPTIONAL) Customize Windows PE
  • In this section, you can add programs and stuff to the WinPE image, these are usually tools used for deployment and recovery scenarios. These tools will be available only within the WinPE environment and will not be part of the Windows installation
  • If you want to learn more about Windows PE, go and check this ThioJoe video https://youtu.be/HBFukw1hkKY?si=u2lZTlO24R21eN5G
Create bootable media (WinPE ISO)
  • The purpose of this command is to take the WinPE files located in the C:\winpe-amd64 directory and compile them into a single ISO file, which can then be used to create bootable media for system deployment, recovery, or troubleshooting tasks.
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MakeWinPEMedia /ISO C:\winpe-amd64 C:\winpe-amd64\winpe-amd64.iso
  • Sample output
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C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64>MakeWinPEMedia /ISO C:\winpe-amd64 C:\winpe-amd64\winpe-amd64.iso
Creating C:\winpe-amd64\winpe-amd64.iso...

100% complete

Success
  • Here’s the ISO file that was created, you can see it in the file explorer
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PS C:\winpe-amd64> dir


    Directory: C:\winpe-amd64


Mode                 LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                 -------------         ------ ----
d-----         1/12/2024   1:29 PM                fwfiles
d-----         1/12/2024   1:29 PM                media
d-----         1/12/2024   1:29 PM                mount
-a----         1/12/2024   1:47 PM      369459200 winpe-amd64.iso

Copy the WinPE ISO files to the samba server

  • Now we need to extract all the files in the winpe-amd64.iso we just created to the netboot.xyz container’s x64 directory
    • This is the samba dir netbootxyz-assets/win-pe/x64
    • The bootloader will look for the files in the x64 dir, so save the files there. I learned this the hard way. See below how to do it.
  • Go to the C:\winpe-amd64 directory
  • Right click the winpe-amd64.iso and click show more options - 7zip - extract files
  • Now in the 7zip extraction menu navigate to the samba dir
    • netbootxyz-assets/win-pe/x64
    • In case it’s checked, unchecked the checkbox below so it doesn’t create a new dir, but it instead just extracts the files
  • With this we will have the ISO files, but extracted in our samba drive
  • If you want to, you can create a backup of the winpe-amd64.iso in the samba directory iso-files

Configure netboot to point to the WinPE files

  • In the netboot.xyz web GUI http://192.168.88.135:3029
  • Go to Menus on the top
  • Update boot.cfg under Media Locations for Licensed Distros
    • set win_base_url http://192.168.88.135:8083/win-pe
      • This is the IP of our linux VM, notice port used is 8083
    • Hit Save Config on the top right

Configure custom options in windows.ipxe

  • Now we need to configure the windows.ipxe file, this will instruct the installation to connect to the samba server to get the Windows installation ISO and will also disable the secure boot check
  • If we don’t disable secure boot, windows cannot be installed over using netboot.xyz
  • Click on the windows.ipxe file
    • We will change this section right below the line
      • kernel http://${boot_domain}/wimboot
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# Custom configs start
initrd ${win_base_url}/configs/auto.bat auto.bat
initrd ${win_base_url}/configs/winpeshl.ini winpeshl.ini
initrd ${win_base_url}/configs/config.ini config.ini
# Custom config ends

Configure samba server and password in winpe files

  • During the network install, WinPE will need access to the samba directory we configured, so we need to configure our samba server and password in the file below
  • You can edit this file from within the samba server itself, as it has the right permissions, but I prefer to do it via Linux, as its way faster and I don’t have to deal with notepad or whatever text editor is on Windows
  • If you’re editing it on windows, do it in the samba drive
    • netbootxyz-assets/win-pe/configs/config
  • If you’re doing it from the Linux VM, edit this file
    • ~/github/containerdata-public/docker/samba/mnt/isos/netbootxyz-assets/win-pe/configs/config.ini

Configure autoattend.xml file

  • I use this file to perform an unattended installation, what does this mean?
    • I configured mine to just ask you for the partition in which you want to install windows, although, you can automate that as well
    • But besides that, it also:
      • Skips the End User License Agreement (EULA) page.
      • Omits the OEM registration screen during setup.
      • Prevents display of prompts to log in with or create an online account.
      • Skips the wireless network setup in the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE).
      • Sets the network location to ‘Home’
      • Skips user-specific Out-of-Box Experience settings.
      • Skips machine-specific Out-of-Box Experience settings.
      • Sets Windows Update to automatically download and install updates.
  • I generated the file on this website https://www.windowsafg.com
    • You can generate your there with your desired options
  • Or you can use the file that I included, just make whatever changes you need
  • I’ll use the file I included, but will make the following changes:
    • linkarzu - replace with the desired user name
    • Linkarzu-org - replace with desired organization name
    • LINKARZU-PC - replace with desired computer name
      • <ProductKey> - I’m using a generic windows key here
      • This key WILL NOT ACTIVATE WINDOWS, it’s just used so you can install it, but once installed, you will need to enter your original purchased, and legally obtained Windows activation key.
  • In this file, you could also include custom scripts or installation commands to install apps or configure Windows to your liking, but that’s out of the scope of this video

Disable secure boot

  • Since we disabled the secure boot checks in the WinPE image, we don’t have to disable secure boot on our machine, for windows to boot properly. At least that worked in my case, but if it does not work in your case, disable secure boot
    • Secure boot is disabled in the BIOS/UEFI menu, google how to do it
    • In my case, I didn’t have to disable secure boot when installing on a VM running on XCP-ng

Install windows via netboot.xyz

  • Before starting the installation process, I’ll restart my samba container I was having an issue in which the samba password was right, but it was not connecting, it fixed until I restarted the samba container
    • Run this on your linux VM where the container is running
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docker restart samba
  • We already configured the router, but remember that it is set to use the netboot.xyz-snp.efi boot file type
  • The netboot.xyz.efi boot file didn’t work for me on my laptop nor VMs when using UEFI, but it may work for you, so try and see which one works
  • NOTE: If you’re on a physical computer, make sure you have it connected with an ethernet cable, as the network install happens via ethernet
  • If on a computer, at least on my case, I had to press f9 and select the boot from the network option
    • This will initiate the network boot process, otherwise your HDD/SDD/USB will be used as the boot option
  • In the netboot.xyz menu, select
    • Windows under Distributions
    • Load Microsoft Windows Installer
  • After copying the windows files the computer will reboot for the first time
    • So when the VM reboots after the installation and is on the PXE menu again turn it off
    • Then disable network boot
    • If you’re working with a physical computer, same thing, change the boot order so it starts with the drive
    • If you don’t do this, it will keep trying to boot from the network, but since the files are already copied to the HDD/SSD, we need to start from the drive instead of the network
  • After you change it to start from the drive instead of the network, it will finish the installation process, if you used my autoattend.xml file it will ask you to change the password when
  • Add a password for the user and that’s it, you successfully installed Windows 11 over the network

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